"You're not my mother! You're a fat meanie. You probably killed them so you could have me all to yourself." Molly could see it now in her mind: jealous Becky looking down into Molly's crib, wanting a child of her own so badly she would do anything.
"Molly, I'd never do anything like that. I'd never do anything to hurt you. I love you."
Molly continued to cry for her dead parents. Not only was she a prisoner now, but she was alone in this awful place with no hope of being reunited with her loved ones. Mommy and Daddy are gone, Veronica's gone, and even Aunt Samantha and Aunt Prudence are gone. I don't have anyone.
"Come on, sweetheart, let's go home and put you to bed. Later we'll talk about this some more."
"I don't want to go to bed."
"I know, but this is a big shock for a little girl. You'll feel better after you've gotten some rest." Becky took Molly's hand and led her towards the door. Molly didn't have the strength to put up any resistance. She stumbled along with Becky to the cottage, where Becky took off her shoes and jacket and then tucked her limp body into bed. "Don't worry about anything. You go to sleep and when you wake up, I'll be right here. Do you need anything? Water or one of your dolls?"
Molly rolled over to turn her back towards Becky. She couldn't remember falling asleep, but when she woke up, she found a shadow looming over her bed. "Molly, are you awake?" a familiar voice whispered. Molly's sleep-addled brain needed a moment to process the memory.
"Veronica?"
"That's right, honey. I've come to get you out of here."
Molly sat up in bed and squinted into the darkness to make out Veronica's gray hair obscuring her face. "But you left me. You let them find me. You told on me."
"No, honey, I'd never do that. They found you on their own. When I heard them coming I had to get out of there."
"You left me behind," Molly repeated.
"I'm very sorry, Molly. I didn't have a choice." Veronica sat down next to Molly on the bed, her adult body causing the frame to creak. "You see, there are some bad people after me. If anyone finds out who I am, I'll be in big trouble. That's why I had to leave you behind, so you wouldn't get hurt. I could never let anything happen to you."
"Why didn't you come back for me sooner?"
"I followed you back here. I've been waiting in the woods for the right time, when no one was watching. Now hurry up and get dressed before that fat nanny comes back to check on you. Then you and I can go to Dublin and find your parents."